Solar Industry employment surged by two-thirds, driven by Chinese and Japanese expansion that helped push global renewable energy employment to 6.5 million last year. Solar, with 2.27 million workers, took the lead from biofuels, says the International Renewable Energy Agency. China has the biggest number of employees which accounts to around 40 percent, followed by Brazil, the U.S., India and Germany. The increase in jobs reflects PV installations in Japan and China, two countries that became the world’s biggest solar power market last year.

Solar to Match Diesel-Generator Sales by 2017, Says Jackson Group

Jackson Group, one of India’s largest suppliers of diesel generators, anticipates about half of its sales to come from the solar industry as rising fuel costs makes sun-based power more attractive. Diesel generators accounts for around 60 GW of capacity in India as homes and businesses use them daily to combat chronic blackouts that can last eight hours in some areas. Jackson anticipates group sales to go up by 70 percent to 25 billion rupees ($418 million) in three years. The New Delhi-based firm plans to construct 80 MW of photovoltaic capacity for its own portfolio.

Power technology group ABB made a $1 billion dollar solar bet with its acquisition of the number two solar PV inverter maker Power-One in April 2013. Last week, the company announced that it finalized the integration, and all Power-One components will now display ABB’s brand, despite news of a supposed global stop-shipment on all Power-One Trio string inverters. When asked about the stop-shipment issue, ABB VP for Marketing Paulo Casini said that ABB stopped shipment to ensure product quality is not compromised. Casini stressed that the rebranding is simply the final step in the Power-One transition process.

Yukon Announces Long-Term Plan for Hydroelectric Power Development

The Yukon government has unveiled a planning directive that calls for the comprehensive study of new large scale hydroelectric power projects in Canada’s northwestern region. Called “Next Generation Hydro for Yukon”, the report hopes to create a long-term plan for Yukon’s power supply. The report reveals that more than 95% of Yukon’s energy is currently produced by hydroelectric sources, but the supply is already approaching capacity. Another issue is that the territory lacks the transmission lines to import power. Yukon’s projected 10% population growth through 2019 further accentuates its need for additional capacity.